


Pas de Deux

by Marshmallows



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Dancing, F/F, Gen, Late Night Conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 05:52:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16613153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marshmallows/pseuds/Marshmallows
Summary: [Spoilers forForgiveness and Gratitude] It's a hard lesson: learning to love herself, but she is still here, and she is not alone.





	Pas de Deux

**Author's Note:**

> Slightly edited version of what I wrote a while back for [Crosswinds: GBF Tarot Project](https://twitter.com/gbf_tarot)!
>
>> **Two of Cups**  
>  Upright: Unified love, partnership, attraction, relationships  
> Reverse: Breakup, lack of harmony

_Death’s door._

_A cold, desolate place._

_There was many a tale on what such a place would look like, but the truth was – there was nothing here. Not a soul, not a sight. Not even herself. She tried tilting what should have been her head, looking through what should have been her eyes, but there was nothing but darkness that stretched on for eternity. Perhaps it was a blindfold: but she should have been able to lift her hands in front of her, her face should have been there to touch._

_She was conscious, at least. Barely, however. She was aware she could no longer see or hear or feel or move._

_But more than that, she was alone. A stark absence rung hollow within her; an inkling that something else was missing._

_Perhaps she was nothing._

_She had been whole once. Thoughts, feelings, memories. Something that resembled living, breathing, existing._

_Darkness._

_She hung on by a thread – its fibres unravelling. A simple pluck would let her go sinking into the abyss._

_Soon, the door would close, and she would sleep._

_Then-_

_“Socie!”_

_A voice._

_A voice that tore the darkness in two, that echoed in the emptiness; a clear voice that rang like bells and bathed the void in warmth. Her waning flame burst in a shower of crimson sparks; oxygen making contact with her lungs, a sharp pain that made her gasp, as she breathed the crisp, cold air once more._

_Yuel. Kou. Captain and the Grancypher._

_Every memory, every thought, rushed to her at once; as the darkness filled with pure white light, like a canvas filling with ink, to rip her out of the darkness of nothing, to send her hurtling back towards the reality she was about to leave, to remind her that she was still alive, that her name was Societte, and she would not let herself become a pawn._

_She sprang into action to yank open death’s door before it shut in her face: a phoenix that defied the natural order, a name on her lips._

_“Yuel-chan!”_

Societte shot up, awake, drenched in sweat. The cold of the night bit into her as the covers fell off her shoulders, her chest heaving as her lungs remembered to breathe; but her hands were there, her face was back, she had a form again – she was still here.

A groan beside her alerted her to her presence. Yuel stirred in the futon, her fingers weakly grasping at something that should have been there. She found nothing, and her eyes shot open. 

“Again?” Yuel mumbled as she sat up, distress in her voice even though her expression was set. The night Societte had almost died, Yuel had been asleep, unable to stop her leaving. Now, every night before they fell asleep, Yuel would hold her hands, to remind her she was there, to keep her safe.

Societte pursed her lips, and that was all she had to do for Yuel to understand. Many a night had passed since that time when they had met and parted with Kou, but not enough for them to forget. They shifted to face each other and Societte explained her dream, for what felt like the umpteenth time since they had began, but Yuel still listened and waited until she was done. 

Yuel paused before raising her head, a smile breaking out onto her face, “Socie… Do you wanna dance with me?”

“Dance?” Societte repeated softly, a tilt of her head, a wag of her tail. 

“It’s the one thing that always cheers ya up, so let’s do it!” Yuel’s smile forged into a grin, already clambering to her feet as she gently slapped her face awake. 

For just a second, Societte looked in the direction of where she had put away her fans, but Yuel was already shaking her head. 

“Oh? Are we not…” Societte’s voice trailed into a murmur. 

“Well, I just wanna try something different for tonight. Something that won’t remind ya of that ol’ fox,” Yuel placed her hands on her hips. 

It took a while to convince Societte to abandon her fans; but at last, they were out upon the deck of the Grancypher. It was the middle of the night and everyone else was fast asleep, but Yuel was brightly charging ahead towards the moonlight flooded floorboards. It was cold outside, their nightgowns their only guards against the elements, but Yuel had promised they’d be there and back before the sun had rose and the crew had even stirred.

“Here we go!” Yuel declared upon reaching a good distance away from the dormitories. She threw open her arms to greet their empty stage, “Shouldn’t be a problem if we dance here.”

Trailing along behind her, Societte piped up, “What dance were you thinking of, Yuel-chan?”

“This fancy one called a ‘waltz’. Has to be done in a pair. Here, here, take my hand,” Yuel cheerfully replied, sticking her hand right out.

Societte stared momentarily, her hand hovering at her chest – but this was Yuel, and Societte grasped onto her hand tight. With Societte’s confirmation, Yuel gently prepared her hand positions upon her partner, her memories a guide.

“‘Kay… Lessee…” Yuel mumbled out loud, “Think it went like this and this…”

Yuel stepped forward, her bare feet barely making a sound upon the floorboards despite her brimming energy. 

It was the first sign that something was odd. 

Yuel would pull and Societte would follow, their relationship as ingrained as the tide and the moon; so Societte watched quietly as Yuel fought internally with her own memories, her face scrunching up as she tried to remember every step. She watched and waited, even as Yuel grumbled to herself, silent in her concern, her body pulled and swayed – until they stilled to a stop. 

“Dang, helps if I remembered how this went…” Yuel said, her ears drooping as her hands dangled at her sides. 

“Still, I had a ton of fun,” Societte said, hand flitting to her mouth to dampen her giggle. She waited for Yuel to brighten up before inquiring, “Where did you learn this dance? Anthuria?”

“Oh, nah, nah! She mainly does solo stuff, but it was actually that fancy pants Percival!” Yuel chirped brightly, “We always end up on the same team, so we got to talking and ended up talking about our pasts and all.” 

“Percival?” Societte squeaked.

“Yeah! He’s totally gruff, but he’s a giant softie really. You just gotta peel back that first layer, like an onion!” Yuel flashed a grin. 

Societte listened to Yuel chatter excitedly about everyone she got to work with: the shy Therese, the kind Esser, a multitude of colourful personalities all gathered together in one place by one charismatic Captain. 

Eventually, Yuel settled against the railing of the ship, her eyes on the stars above, “Y’know, Socie… It’s because we went out of the village that we got to meet so many people, right? Hard to believe it’s been so many years now. T’think you came out on your own too.”

There was a pause as Societte nodded in response, her pensiveness prompting her next thought, “Do you think Kou’s doing okay out there on his own too?”

“Yeah… I’m sure of it,” Yuel replied softly, letting her gaze fall back to her.

They lapsed into a comfortable quiet as they reminisced about their journey thus far; the breeze, crisp and gentle now, despite their night attire.

“Y’know, he’s strong. Like you, Socie. Stronger than ya think. You became friends with me, after all,” Yuel began, “And Captain, and Kou.”

“I…” Societte said before she could stop herself, her arms a guard across her chest, her gaze dropping automatically. 

Yuel shook her head, “Weren’t we separated at first? You met Captain all on yer own. And we hadn’t even known Kou that long, and you went and did that crazy stunt to save him, and we all had to run after ya. That was all you.”

Societte lifted her head to look at her, momentarily speechless, unable to stop her face from crumpling, “Yuel… chan…”

“Socie…” Yuel said quietly, letting the night air gently comb through her long hair, “You’ve been through a ton of spankerings for this already, but I’m… really glad you’re still here,” For a moment, none of them spoke, and the deck was deathly quiet – until Yuel pushed herself off the railing and began a great, dramatic stretch, “It’s getting cold, right? Wanna head back in?”

Societte pursed her lips, before she piped up, “I… I wanna stay out a bit longer… if that’s okay!”

Yuel only grinned in response, “‘Course!”

Societte nodded, pumping her fists quietly in front of her, and then she stepped forward and took a deep breath. The night air refreshed her lungs, and after this pause, she slowly lifted her head. 

One by one, her fox fire materialised before her, as sapphire flames surrounded her body to illuminate her like spotlights. Bathed in its warmth, she stepped out onto the floorboards enchanted by moonlight, and here she began.

Every step she took, every flick of her hand, her fire followed her path, a trail of bright lights behind her as if she was a shooting star dashing across the night sky. The movement of her arms, her fingers in flux, reminded her of her limbs outside of that empty space that haunted her dreams. 

In dance, there was no need to hear the stutter in her voice, to feel the hesitation build in her throat. It was almost another world for her, another her that existed in this exact time and space, another her that forgot all her worries. Someone brave and ready to perform burst out whenever she was lost in this head space – and yet, at the same time, she was fully aware she was still in control of all of her movements. She was conscious – as another leap forward sent her long hair flying – that it was actually still her. Shy and quiet; and yet, she loved dancing, so that improvising like this was merely second nature to her. 

Her breath began to quicken with her pace, oxygen fuelled her muscles, and she was reminded of her body, her place and physicality that existed in this world. She was used to her giant fans being an extension of her body, but tonight it was only her, her reach only as far as the span of her own arms. In a way, she was smaller; in the same way, she was unburdened, as free as a bird in flight. As exertion transcribed into sweat against her forehead, Societte felt in this moment, that she was whole, that she was here: alive, present, breathing. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Yuel begin to mimic her, springing effortlessly into step, the only way someone that had known her all her life would be able to. Her lips broke into a smile, and Societte spun round to face her; and together, they dipped into practised movements as natural to them as breathing was to any skydweller. Their flames intertwined as they spun and weaved round each other: a harmony of sapphire and crimson lights. 

Tonight, they weren’t dancing for the reverence of Ninetails; this was for themselves – for herself as well. Societte was used to long flowing robes, the weight of fur collars; but their nightgowns felt light, as if they were spun out of air instead of cotton, like costumes as their fire sparkled like glitter, ribbons fluttering as they twirled. The air should have been cold; but moving like this, laughing like this, bathed her in a warmth that shone through her soul. 

Perhaps she was something: someone brave, someone loved, someone acting of her own volition. 

When finally their bodies gave way to their mortal restraints of exhaustion, they collapsed to the planks of the deck in a chorus of laughter, arms outstretched, hands together; their final curtain call to an audience of no one in particular, an auditorium empty, except for the stars in the sky. 

“Yuel-chan?” Societte said to the witnesses of their night above, as soon as her breath had caught up to her.

Yuel turned her head to face her, “Yeah?” 

With every fibre of her body, from the tips of her toes to her rapidly beating heart, Societte said, “I’m glad I’m still here too.”


End file.
